DAY-NIGHT cricket and Twenty20 cricket unofficially came to the Central Lancashire League on Saturday.

DAY-NIGHT cricket and Twenty20 cricket unofficially came to the Central Lancashire League on Saturday.

Littleborough's home game against Radcliffe went through both forms of the game before stumps were finally drawn at 8.45pm with each team collecting two points.

Boro were unhappy at the way the match ended, but the weather was always likely to be the winner on a miserable day at Hare Hill.

Radcliffe were asked to bat first and they lost their first wicket with just 15 on the board - Phil Hayes being given out leg before as he offered no stroke.

Matthew Collins was replaced by Danny Francis and he claimed the scalp of Bruce Cruse almost immediately as the Australian played on.

Brendan Miskella removed Graeme Simpson in identical fashion in the next over and the visitors were struggling on 41 for four.

The heavens opened at 3.30pm, and when play resumed after a 55-minute break Radcliffe adapted to the conditions far better. The score had moved to 92 when Ash Gorsi chased one from Miskella and was caught by Danny Tweddle behind the stumps.

Littleborough badly needed to dismiss Radcliffe professional Pasan Wanansinghe, but he was batting well and having some luck. Less lucky was Richard Farnworth superbly run out by Clinton Perren. with a direct throw.

Heavy drizzle again forced the players off the field and the tea interval was sensibly taken during this downpour. When the game resumed, Toby McLean's mistimed drive off Deakin eventually came down to Alex Collins, who had run from cover to catch.

The seventh wicket also went to Phil Deakin as Steven Cheetham cut him to Gary Hulme at wide gully. Radcliffe were on 157-7 by this point, yet two overs later their innings was complete.

Miskella claimed two wickets in one over as Gaz Nicholson and Chris Owens succumbed to the bowler's vast experience, then Deakin wrapped up the innings, Matthew Smalley trapped leg before.

Littleborough started their reply intent on winning the game, yet time and the gathering gloom was against them.

McLean's ridiculously long run-up was another disadvantage, but his reliance on short-pitched deliveries provided several easy hook shots for Gary Hulme which raced to the boundary.

McLean did remove Alex Collins with Boro on 17, but Hulme continued to make batting look easy with a series of lovely cover drives. Another boundary took him to the half-century mark, but constant glances skywards suggested it would all be in vain.

The final nail looked to have been hammered into the coffin at around 7.45pm, when the inclement weather once more sent the players scurrying to the sanctuary of the dressing room., much to the dismay Boro.

Supporters and players consulted the rule book, with the upshot being that when play restarted at 8.15pm, the umpires decided the match would finish half-an-hour later.

Hulme and Perren set about the Radcliffe bowling with shots and running usually reserved for Twenty20 cricket.

Perren was the most innovative batsman, using his class and experience to race into the 40s in no time. Hulme was less adventurous, and Littleborough reached 136 from 22 overs when he was eventually out for 76, beaten for pace by Wanansinghe.

That turned out to be the last ball of the game yet people were still consulting their rule books as they made their way home in the gloom of an English summer.